Appanoose County Community Railroad Inc. (APNC) - 2008

The Appanoose County Community Railroad was formed in 1983 by the town of Centerville, utilizing abandoned sections of the Burlington Northern, Rock Island and Norfolk Southern railroads. The railroad is a non-profit railroad with headquarters in Centerville.

The APNC operates 35 miles in Iowa from Centerville to Albia. The line connects with the BNSF Railway and the Norfolk Southern at Albia and with the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad (formerly the Iowa, Chicago and Eastern Railroad) at Moravia. Current employment totals six people, all located in Iowa.

Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad (BSV) - 2008

The Boone and Scenic Valley Railroad is a nonprofit operating museum located in Boone. In 1983, BSV purchased 12 miles of track that was scheduled for abandonment from the Chicago North Western. A nonprofit historical society was established and began passenger service later that year. Since 1983, BSV has operated a passenger excursion train over the 12 miles of track from Boone to Wolf. In February 2001, BSV obtained an additional 1.66 miles of right-of-way from downtown Boone eastward to the Boone Industrial Park from the Union Pacific Railroad to serve the industries located in the park.

Freight service is only provided on the 1.66 miles to the Boone Industrial Park. Current employment totals six people, all located in Iowa.

The main commodity handled by the BSV is empty containers.

BNSF Railway Co. (BNSF) - 2008

The BNSF Railway Co. began operating in Iowa on Sept. 22, 1995, following the merger of the Burlington Northern and Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe railroads. BNSF is owned by its holding company Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation which is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas.

The BNSF is among the largest railroads in the United States today with operating mileage totaling nearly 32,200 miles covering 28 states and two Canadian provinces. BNSF covers the western two-thirds of the United States from major Pacific Northwest and California ports to the Midwest, Southeast and Southwest, and from Canada to Mexico. The railroad operates 673 miles of track in Iowa which runs from Burlington to Glenwood in southern Iowa (Amtrak also operates on this stretch under trackage rights) and northward from Sioux City in northwest Iowa. The BNSF also operates several branch lines that stem off its main line, including a line from Des Moines to Albia. The railroad employs nearly 40,000 people.

The main products handled by the BNSF in Iowa include coal, food products, grain, and chemicals and fertilizers.

Burlington Junction Railway (BJRY) - 2008

The Burlington Junction Railway was formed in 1985 to operate the former Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad track in Burlington in southeastern Iowa. In 1996, the BJRY began switching operations in Mount Pleasant. In 2003, BJRY leased two line segments near Quincy, ILL., from the BNSF Railway and began operations. The railroad is headquartered in Burlington.

Currently, the BJRY provides switching operations in Burlington, West Burlington, Mount Pleasant, and Ottumwa; as well as three locations in Illinois - Quincy, Rochelle, and Montgomery - connecting to the BNSF Railway. The railroad operates a total of 22 miles of which 4.5 miles are located in Iowa. The BJRY employs a total of 22 people of which six are located in Iowa.

CBEC Railway Inc. (CBEC) - 2008

The CBEC Railway was formed in 1992 by the MidAmerican Energy Company in Council Bluffs. The CBEC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of MidAmerican. The headquarters are located in Des Moines.

The CBEC owns six miles of track in the Council Bluffs area, which were installed in 1997. The track is primarily used by BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad to haul coal to the utility plant located south of Council Bluffs. Administrative services are provided by MidAmerican Energy. The Great Western Railway performs the maintenance functions.

The main product handled by the CBEC is coal.

Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway Co. (CIC) - 2008

The Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway Co. began operations in 1904. The railroad operated as a passenger line until 1953. The CIC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alliant Energy Transportation. The headquarters are located in Cedar Rapids.

The railroad operates 60 miles of track in eastern Iowa. The CIC's main line runs from Cedar Rapids to Iowa City. In 1981 the railroad expanded by purchasing 23 miles of the Milwaukee Road from Cedar Rapids to Homestead. It also purchased the Iowa City-to-Hills line from the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad in 1982. The CIC also provides switching operations in Cedar Rapids. The railroad interchanges traffic with the Chicago, Central and Pacific Railroad; Iowa Northern Railway Company; and the Union Pacific Railroad in Cedar Rapids. The railroad interchanges with the Iowa Interstate Railroad in Homestead and Iowa City. The railroad employs 78 people, all located in Iowa.

The main products handled by the CIC include food products, coal, grain, and paper.

CN - Owner of Cedar River Railroad Co. (CEDR) - 2008

The Cedar River Railroad was established in 1991 with the acquisition of the Cedar Valley Railroad. Cedar Valley was formed in 1984 with the purchase of track from the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad. The CEDR is a subsidiary of the Chicago Central & Pacific Railroad (CC). CC is part of CN as a result of a merger with the Illinois Central Railroad.

The CEDR operates 103 miles from Waterloo to Glenville, Minn. About 83 miles are located in Iowa, including a branch line to Stacyville. The railroad interchanges traffic with the CC at Waterloo, as well as with the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad (formerly the Iowa Chicago & Eastern Railroad) in Charles City, Iowa, and Lyle, Minn., and with the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern and the Union Pacific in Glenville, Minn. CEDR does not directly employ any people; the employees are part of the CC, which is owned by CN.

The main products handled by the CEDR include grain, food products, and chemicals.

Chicago, Central and Pacific Railroad (CC) - 2008

The Chicago, Central and Pacific Railroad was formed in December 1985 as a spin-off from the Illinois Central Gulf Railroad. In June 1996 the Illinois Central Railroad repurchased the CC. Currently, the CC is a subsidiary of the CN system that resulted from the Canadian National and Illinois Central merger effective on July 1, 1999.

The CC operates 732 miles of track in Iowa, Illinois and Nebraska, with 558 miles located in Iowa. The line in Iowa extends from Dubuque through Fort Dodge to Council Bluffs. The railroad also operates a line from Fort Dodge to Sioux City, along with several branches. The CC currently employs 240 people system wide, with 203 located in Iowa.

The main products handled by the railroad include coal, farm products, food products, and chemicals/fertilizers.

D & I Railroad Company (DAIR) - 2008

The D & I Railroad was incorporated in 1981 to operate part of the Milwaukee Road purchased by South Dakota in northwest Iowa. The railroad is owned by L.G. Everist Inc., a construction company. It is headquartered in Sioux Falls, S.D.

The DAIR operates on 266 miles of track that is owned by South Dakota from Sioux City to Dell Rapids, S.D., and from Hawarden, Iowa, to Beresford, S.D. DAIR also has trackage rights from Canton, S.D., to Wolsey, S.D. About 39 miles of track are located in Iowa. The railroad shares trackage rights with the BNSF Railway. The DAIR connects with the BNSF Railway; Chicago, Central and Pacific; and the Union Pacific railroads in Sioux City. In Sioux Falls, S.D., the railroad connects with the BNSF Railway and with the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad in Wolsey, S.D. The railroad employs 10 people, none located in Iowa.

The main products handled by the DAIR include nonmetallic metals, stone products, food products, and grain.

The Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern was formed in 1986, taking over lines owned by the Chicago & North Western located in South Dakota and Minnesota. The railroad is based in Sioux Falls, S.D. In 2002, DME formed the Iowa, Chicago & Eastern Railroad (ICE), which took over the operations of the I & M Rail Link. On Oct. 30, 2008, the Canadian Pacific Railroad (CP) acquired the DME and ICE through its U.S. subsidiary, the Soo Line Railroad Co. To simplify the corporate structure of CP's holdings in the United States, ICE has been merged into the DME and ICE no longer exists. The DME planned to build 262 miles and rebuild 650 miles of track, allowing the railroad access to coal located in the Powder River Basin in Wyoming, but CP has not yet determined if it will proceed with the project.

The combined DME operates more than 2,500 miles of track running from Rapid City, S.D., to Winona, Minn., located on the Mississippi River; and from Minneapolis to Chicago and Kansas City, paralleling the Mississippi River through Iowa. The railroad also operates a line across northern Iowa and one across southern Minnesota. Iowa operations consist of about 660 miles. The railroad has access to all major railroads at gateways in Chicago, Kansas City and St Paul, Minn. The DME currently employs nearly 1,300 people systemwide with 312 located in Iowa.

D&W Railroad LLC (DWRV) - 2008

With an agreement dated December 2005, Transco Railway Products and Hawkeye Renewables formed the D&W Railroad, LLC. Transco transferred the existing assets of the D&W Railroad Inc., which was formed in 2002 by Transco to acquire the rail line from Dewar to Oelwein from the Union Pacific Railroad in lieu of abandonment. The headquarters are located in Fairbank, Iowa.

The DWRV owns 19 miles of track. The railroad has contracted with the Iowa Northern Railway to maintain the line and provide service to shippers.

The main products handled on the line include grain, ethanol, feed, and rail cars to be repaired or rebuilt.

Iowa Interstate Railroad Ltd. (IAIS) - 2008

The Iowa Interstate Railroad was founded in 1984 to operate the former Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad line between Chicago and Omaha. IAIS is a subsidiary of Railroad Development Corporation (RDC) that acquired both the railroad and the property from Heartland Rail Corporation in December 2003. RDC is headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, and operates several overseas railroads. IAIS is headquartered in Cedar Rapids.

The railroad operates 580 miles of track from Chicago to Omaha through the Quad Cities, Iowa City and Des Moines, as well as several branch lines. Intermodal service is provided at Chicago, Council Bluffs, Newton and West Liberty. The IAIS operations in Iowa include 362 miles. Employees of the railroad total 196, with 129 located in Iowa.

The main products handled by the IAIS in Iowa include farm products, food products, waste and scrap products, lumber, and nonmetallic minerals.

Iowa Northern Railway Company (IANR) - 2008

The Iowa Northern Railway was incorporated in 1984 and is one of the first short-line railroads in the state. The IANR was formed from the bankrupt Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad. The railroad is headquartered in Greene, Iowa. The railroad was originally owned by a group of grain elevators located along the line. The line was sold in 1994 to the current owners and maintains corporate headquarters in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

The IANR operates 169 miles in Iowa between Cedar Rapids and Manly in north central Iowa including the line (18.8 miles) between Dewar and Oelwein under an operating agreement with the D&W Railroad. The railroad connects with the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railroad in Cedar Rapids; with the Chicago, Central and Pacific Railroad in Cedar Rapids and Waterloo; with the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad (formerly the Iowa, Chicago & Eastern Railroad) in Nora Springs and Plymouth Junction; with the Union Pacific in Cedar Rapids and Manly; and with the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad in Manly. The railroad employs 83 people, all located in Iowa.

The main products handled by the IANR include grain, chemicals/fertilizers, food products, stone, ethanol and machinery.

Iowa River Railroad, Inc. (IARR) - 2008

The Iowa River Railroad was formed in 2006 when the railroad purchased the Union Pacific line from Marshalltown to Steamboat Rock. The railroad also acquired the rail-banked (dormant) portion of track from Steamboat Rock to Ackley from the North Central Railway Association (shippers on the formerly operational line.) The railroad is headquartered in Steamboat Rock.

The IARR operates 43 miles in central Iowa between Marshalltown and Ackley. The Iowa River Railroad connects with the Union Pacific Railroad in Marshalltown and with the Chicago, Central & Pacific Railroad (owned by CN) at Ackley. The railroad employs three people, all located in Iowa.

The main products handled by the IARR include ethanol, grain, and chemicals/fertilizers.

Iowa Traction Railroad Co. (IATR) - 2013

The Iowa Traction Railway Co. is privately owned by Progressive Rail, Inc. of Lakeville MN, who acquired the line on October 1, 2012. The IATR is recognized as the only freight-hauling railroad which relies solely on electric overhead power. The line was previously known as the Iowa Terminal Railroad and Iowa Traction Railroad. The headquarters are located in Mason City.

The IATR operates 13 miles between Clear Lake and Mason City in northern Iowa. The railroad connects with the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Union Pacific Railroad in Mason City.

The main products handled by the IATR include food products, biofuels and waste and scrap materials.

Keokuk Junction Railroad Co. (KJRY) - 2008

The Keokuk Junction Railway was incorporated in May 1980 to purchase 4.5 miles of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad yard track in Keokuk. In December 1986 the railroad expanded its operations by purchasing the line between Keokuk and La Harpe, Ill., from the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. In March 1996, Pioneer Railcorp purchased the KJRY. Pioneer Railcorp is a shortline railroad holding company operating 16 railroads in 10 states, totaling more than 535 miles. The headquarters for Pioneer Railcorp are located in Peoria, Ill. The KJRY has a main office in Keokuk.

In December 2001, the KJRY purchased 12 miles from La Harpe, Ill., to Lomax, Ill. KJRY added 76 miles in February 2005 acquiring the line from La Harpe to Peoria, Ill. With these purchases, the railroad currently operates a total of 127 miles, with one mile located in Iowa. The KJRY serves as a switching carrier in Keokuk. KJRY interchanges with a number of railroads in Peoria, as well as the BNSF Railway in Keokuk and the Union Pacific Railroad in Fort Madison.

The KJRY employs a total of 21 people of which 18 are located in Iowa. The main products handled by the KJRY include grain, transportation equipment, food products, and waste products.

Norfolk Southern Railway Co. (NS) - 2008

The Norfolk Southern Railway Company was formed June 1, 1982, with the merging of the Norfolk and Western Railway and the Southern Railway. In June 1997, the NS and CSX filed a joint application to purchase the Conrail property. The NS began operating about 7,200 miles of the former Conrail property June 1, 1999. The NS is owned by Norfolk Southern Corp., which is based in Norfolk, Va.

The railroad operates 20,890 miles of track in 23 states in the Southeast and Midwest, as well as in Ontario, Canada. The NS serves all major eastern ports. The NS operates 44 miles of track in Iowa running from Des Moines to Burlington, most of which are trackage rights on the BNSF Railway Co. The railroad employs more than 31,000 people systemwide.

The main products handled by the NS in Iowa include grain and food products.

Union Pacific Railroad Co. (UP) - 2008

The Union Pacific Railroad Co. was chartered in 1862 through an act of Congress. The railroad is comprised of the original Union Pacific, Missouri Pacific, Chicago and North Western, and Southern Pacific railroads. The UP is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Union Pacific Corp., which is based in Omaha, Neb.

The UP is the largest railroad in the United States, operating 32,012 miles in 25 states in the western two-thirds of the nation. The UP's operations link major West coast and Gulf ports with major gateways to the east including Chicago, St. Louis, Memphis and New Orleans, and it is a primary connection between the United States and Mexico. The railroad operates 1,435 miles in Iowa, including a main line from Clinton to Council Bluffs and another north-south route through central Iowa, along with many branch lines. The railroad employs 488,951 people systemwide, with 2,042 located in Iowa.

The main products handled by the UP in Iowa include grain, food products, coal, chemicals/fertilizers and miscellaneous mixed shipments.